Patna:

A team from the Central Bureau of Investigation, which went to Bihar to investigate the UGC NET paper leak case, was heckled by villagers in Nawada. The local police say the villagers thought the team was fake. A case has been lodged against around 200 people. Only eight of them have been named.

The verbal attack  has been recorded on cellphone, and the people involved are being identified on basis of the videos, the police said. Four persons have been arrested.

A senior officer of the local police, Ambrish Rahul, said the team was at Kasiyadih village when they were attacked. The officials were rescued after the arrival of local police.

The team — four officials and a woman constable — had gone to look for a person whose cellphone they were tracking. But the villagers attacked the officials, calling them fake. They also vandalised the vehicles.

In face of the unexpected attack, the team called in the local police, who somehow pacified the villagers.

The team conducted their investigation in presence of the local police. Two cellphones have been seized on basis of location.

The CBI officials said after investigation of the information contained in the phones, people involved in the paper leak will be arrested.

The UGC-NET, through which students can choose a career in teaching in higher education institutions, was cancelled earlier this week. The cancellation came a day after the test was held over suspicion that the paper may have been leaked. The Centre had announced they suspected the exam integrity may have been “compromised”.

The University Grants Commission or UGC received inputs from the cyber crime department that the paper was available on Dark Net and was sold for Rs 5-6 lakh on messaging platforms.

Mumbai:

Bihar may not be the only state where malpractices were found during the medical entrance exam NEET with cops in Maharashtra questioning two teachers in the paper leak case.

Sanjay Tukaram Jadhav and Jalil Umarkhan Pathan were picked up by the Nanded Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on the suspicion that they were involved in the NEET paper leak case. They used to teach in Zilla Parishad schools and also run private coaching centres in Latur.

They were released after several hours of questioning and will be called again if needed, sources said.

The twin public exams of NEET and UGC-NET have rocked the Indian academic and political world with paper leaks being investigated by authorities at both central and state levels.

The CBI was handed over the probe into NEET paper leaks last night as the government vowed to protect the interest of the students. It is also probing the UGC-NET irregularities, which include papers being leaked and sold on the dark net.

Bihar Police had earlier arrested four persons who had confessed to having leaked the question papers a night before the NEET UG exam. Cops are now probing the role of ‘solver gangs’ that sell leaked exam papers to students and provide proxy candidates to take tests for candidates.

On its part, the government yesterday replaced the testing body head and formed a high-level panel to look into the NEET irregularities. A new law has also been notified to curb paper leaks and other exam malpractices.

Nearly 24 lakh students had taken the NEET UG test on May 5, but after the results were declared on June 4, allegations of paper leaks and grace marks given to over 1,500 students surfaced. This triggered protests and court cases, and ultimately a CBI probe.

This afternoon, over 1,500 aspirants will take a NEET re-test at seven exam centres after the testing agency withdrew the grace marks awarded to them to make up for loss of time. Officials of the exam body will be present to ensure the exams are held smoothly.

NEET PG, which was scheduled today, was cancelled last night with the Health ministry stating a new date will be announced soon. UGC-NET was also cancelled – just a day after it was already conducted.

New Delhi:
The National Testing Agency (NTA) is in the news after the UGC-NET was cancelled over alleged irregularities, and the NEET ran into controversy. The UGC-NET is for those looking to teach in higher education, while NEET is for medical aspirants.

Here’s your 10-point cheatsheet to this story

New Delhi:

The question paper for the UGC-NET exam that was held Tuesday was leaked 48 hours earlier and sold on the dark web and encrypted social media platforms for Rs 6 lakh, sources in the Central Bureau of Investigation told NDTV. The NET exam had been voided by the Education Ministry – already taking flak over the NEET-UG test – that cited input from a federal anti-cybercrime unit.

Sources said the source of the leak, however, is unclear at this time. The agency will work with the NTA or the National Testing Agency, which is the central body that conducts competitive exams.

The role of coaching centres – in which thousands of aspirants enroll, at great cost, in hope of cracking exams like NET, NEET (for medical courses), and IAS (for civil service) tests – in several states is also being investigated, sources said, explaining CBI officers could visit a few in person.

The CBI filed its first FIR, or first information report, in this case on Thursday, in which it accused as yet unidentified persons based on the ministry’s complaint. The ministry had said information indicates “prima facie that the integrity of the examination may have been compromised”.

READ | NET Cancelled Day After Exam. “Integrity Compromised”: Centre

“Corruption Likely…”: CBI Sources On NET Row

Also on Thursday, hours after the UGC-NET was voided – sources said the authorities believed a large-scale corruption racket is behind the leaked papers. Given this concerns, sources said officials charged with the exam’s conduct, including those who set question papers, would be probed.

READ | On NET Row, Corruption Case Likely, Officials To Be Probed

Earlier the ministry – fending off opposition attacks over the NEET row – said it had been forced to void the NET “to ensure the highest level of transparency and sanctity of the examination process”.

After the exam was scrapped, students protested on university campuses across the country, claiming they had flagged paper leaks last week, days before the exam, but no action was taken.

READ | NET Aspirants Allege Paper Leak, Day After Exam Got Scrapped

Students at Lucknow University said at least one paper had been leaked and was available for just Rs 5,000. This, they said, had been circulated via WhatsApp and Telegram groups from June 16.

UGC-NET refers to the University Grants Commission’ National Eligibility Test – a qualifying exam for appointments to professorial posts in colleges and universities, as well as fellowships.

Over 11 lakh students had registered for the exam.

There have been furious protests by students and the opposition over the NET and NEET controversies; petitions over the latter are being heard by the Supreme Court.

NEET-UG Row

In the NEET row, apart from allegations of leaked question papers, grace marks awarded to 1,563 candidates and the unusually high number of students scoring a perfect 720 have been red-flagged.

Petitioners demanded a re-test but, for now, the NTA has only agreed to roll-back marks of the 1,563 who got extra marks and has offered them a second chance.

Four men, including Anurag Yadav, a candidate, have been arrested in Bihar in the NEET row.

Mr Yadav, 22, told police he had been prepping at a coaching centre in Rajasthan’s Kota.

READ | Bihar Student Arrested In NEET Case Was Told “It’s Sorted”

“My uncle, Sikandar Yadavendu (also arrested) works as a junior municipal engineer. He told me to come back… said my result had been ‘sorted’…” he said after his arrest.

Government Reacts

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has declared that a high-level committee will be formed and that the interests of the students is the first priority of the government. 

READ | “Forming High-Level Committee…”: Minister On Exams Row

 “I want to assure everyone that the government is committed to ensuring the interests of students. We will not compromise with that or with transparency…” he told reporters Thursday night.

Political Clash

This has also triggered a political blame game between the ruling BJP and the Congress-led opposition bloc, particularly in Bihar, where Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha of the former party has accused his predecessor and RJD and opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav of links to the accused.

The RJD has rubbished the charge and said the BJP is trying to divert attention from its failure.

READ | In NEET Row In Bihar, BJP Accuses RJD, Opposition Hits Back

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Mallikarjun Kharge, and Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav, the Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, and the Trinamool’s Saket Gokhale have also all hit out at the BJP on this topic.

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New Delhi:

The CBI registered an FIR into the UGC-NET paper leak case on Thursday against unidentified persons on a reference from the Union Education Ministry, officials said.

The UGC-NET, 2024, exam for the selection of junior research fellows, assistant professors and PhD scholars was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 18 in two shifts across the country.

The next day, the University Grants Commission received inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (l4C) that the paper was available on the darknet and was allegedly being sold for Rs 5-6 lakh on messaging platforms, sources said.

They said the CBI will work in close coordination with the I4C while initiating its own darknet exploration softwares and systems to nail down the perpetrators.

According to the complaint from the Education Ministry, the inputs from I4C, which functions under the Union Home Ministry, “prima-facie indicate that the integrity of the examination may have been compromised”, officials said.

“To ensure the highest level of transparency and sanctity of the examination process, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, has decided to cancel the aforesaid examination and to hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a thorough investigation in the matter,” the reference note from the Secretary, Education Ministry, K Sanjay Murthy said.

The reference note is now part of the FIR.

The facts of the complaint prima facie disclose the commission of offences punishable under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code against unknown accused, the FIR stated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Hours after the Education Ministry scrapped the 2024 UGC-NET examination – based on input from a federal cybercrime unit run by the Home Ministry that said it may have been compromised – sources told NDTV early inquiries suggest a large corruption racket. Given such concerns, sources said officials charged with the exam’s conduct, including those who set question papers, will be probed.

The officials likely to be investigated range from academics who create the question papers and those who evaluate answers to officials responsible for editing, or checking, prepared question papers. Sources said two to three sets of each question paper are prepared.

The role of officials who print each question paper will be examined, as will that of those who take the printed documents to examination centres across the country. The role of the latter will be scrutinised, as this person has complete access to all question papers.

Meanwhile, after the NET was cancelled, student protests on university campuses across the country, claiming they had flagged paper leaks last week, days before the exam, but no action was taken.

Students at Lucknow University said at least one paper had been leaked and was available for as little as Rs 5,000. This, they said, had been circulated via WhatsApp and Telegram groups from June 16.

READ | NET Aspirants Allege Paper Leak, Day After Exam Got Scrapped

UGC-NET refers to the National Eligibility Test – a qualifying exam for appointments to professorial posts in colleges and universities, as well as for research posts and fellowships.

It is conducted by the NTA, or National Testing Agency, a federal agency that organises competitive exams for various courses, including the NEET, or National Eligibility and Entrance Test, which sorts students to colleges offering undergraduate medical degrees.

The 2024 UGC-NET was conducted on Tuesday but the Education Ministry this afternoon said the exam had been scrapped and results voided.

READ | “Took Proactive Action”: Education Ministry, Under Fire For Scrapping NET

Over 11 lakh students had registered for the exam.

“The matter has been given to the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation)… a fresh exam will be conducted soon,” Govind Jaiswal, the Joint Secretary, said.

This comes as the NTA, and the government, take flak over allegations of leaked question papers and preferential marking for the NEET exams. Nearly 24 lakh students took that exam – on May 5 – and there have been widespread complaints by candidates across India.

READ | “Got NEET Paper Day Before Exam”: Arrested Student Tells Bihar Cops

The NEET row also reached the Supreme Court; on Tuesday the court came down heavily on the NTA and demanded accountability in case of even “0.001 per cent negligence”. 

Concern over the NEET exam was triggered after rumours of leaked question papers and the fact that 1,563 students received grace marks allowing them to score a perfect 720.

The court was told the grace marks were due to loss of time for some students.

Students and petitioners have demanded a re-test but, for now, the NTA has only agreed to roll-back marks of the 1,563 who got extra marks and has offered them a second chance.

Four men arrested in Bihar confessed to question papers being leaked.

The UGC-NET and NEET rows have also spawned entirely predictable political spats, with the Congress-led INDIA bloc set to attack the ruling BJP ahead of the first Parliament session.

READ | In NEET Row In Bihar, BJP, RJD Trade Claims Of ‘Link’ To Key Accused

In Bihar, for example, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha has accused opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, whose Rashtriya Janata Dal is part of the INDIA bloc, of links between his aide and one of the key accused in this case.

READ | “Emergency”: NET Scrapped Amid NEET Row, Opposition Gets Ammo

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Mallikarjun Kharge, and Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav, the Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, and the Trinamool’s Saket Gokhale have all hit out at the BJP on this topic.

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Even as the controversy over NEET threatens to reach a boiling point, the Ministry of Education has has cancelled the UGC-NET exam, conducted by the National Testing Agency, just a day after it was held. Over 9 lakh candidates had appeared for the exam, which is held for Assistant Professor posts in universities and colleges and to determine eligibility for junior research fellowships. 

The announcement triggered an immediate reaction from Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who called out the government for its “laxity” and demanded that accountability be fixed.

In a statement, the Education Ministry said the June exam of the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) was conducted on Tuesday in OMR (pen and paper) mode in two shifts across the country.

“On 19th June, 2024, the University Grants Commission (UGC) received certain inputs from National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs on the Examination. These inputs prima facie indicate that the integrity of the aforesaid examination may have been compromised,” it said. 

The ministry said it was announcing the cancellation of the June 2024 examination “to ensure the highest level of transparency and sanctity of the examination process” and that it will be held afresh at a date which will be shared later. 

There have been reports of the paper of the examination being leaked, but this was not confirmed by the ministry. It said only that the matter has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation for investigation. 

The UGC-NET is conducted twice every year, in June and December. 

On Tuesday, UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar had posted on X, “Today, NTA has successfully conducted UGC – NET June 2024 for determining the eligible candidates for (i) ‘award of Junior Research Fellowship and appointment as Assistant Professor’, (ii) ‘appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.’ and (iii) ‘admission to Ph.D. only’ in 83 subjects in OMR (Pen and Paper) mode in two (02) different shifts (09:30 AM to 12:30 Noon and 03:00 PM to 06:00 PM).”

“The examination has been conducted at 1,205 Exam Centres in 317 cities across the country for 11,21,225 candidates. Out of the total registered candidates, about 81% candidates appeared for the exam. Best wishes to all the candidates,” he had written.

NEET Row

Nearly 24 lakh students had appeared for the NEET-UG 2024 for undergraduate medical courses, which is also conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), on May 5. The results were announced on June 4, 10 days before schedule, but allegations of a question paper leak and grace marks to over 1,500 students triggered protests. Cases were also filed in courts, including the Supreme Court, which has come down heavily on the NTA.

On NEET, the ministry’s statement said, “The issue related to grace marks has already been fully addressed. As regards certain irregularities alleged in the conduct of the examination in Patna, a detailed report has been sought from the Economic Offences Unit, Bihar Police. Government will take further action, on receipt of this report.”

“Government is committed to ensure the sanctity of examinations and protect the interest of students. It is reiterated that any individual/organisation found to be involved in this matter will face strictest action,” it added.